The present method relates to a remote notification system concerning the status of containers in remote locations, and more particularly, to the automatic notification to a remote station or operator in response to whether a container has a package and whether that package has been removed.
It is important in the tracking of numerous remote containers, such as common carrier drop boxes, group mail collection sites, federal post office boxes, and private postal boxes, to know when packages have been dropped into the box and picked up. The ability to know whether a given container is full or empty reduces the time it takes to check each box individually, especially eliminating the time taken to empty the boxes.
Cutting down on the number of trips necessary to these remote container locations would reduce wear on vehicles, reduce gasoline wasted on the delivery/pick-up trucks, and increase the overall pick-up efficiency, especially operator time spent in checking and re-checking empty container boxes. Further, a fewer number of delivery trips to the containers would reduce the danger to the drivers and others that occur on the roads.
In addition, since the status of whether a container has a package or not is known and extra trips to check boxes are reduced, companies can afford to install more boxes at more locations, thereby increasing coverage to better serve the consumers. The notification also allows user to be alerted when vandalism has occurred to the containers and allow the user to quickly notify the police.
The object of the present method, therefore, is to provide a new and improved technique for notification to a user of the status of remote containers as to whether the container has a package or is empty.
Other advantages of the present method will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features characterizing the method will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.